A major outbreak of Saharan dust was noted during the 06-11 November 2007 period — the Meteosat-9 Saharan Air Layer (SAL) tracking product (above) revealed an extensive signal of thick dust (orange to red enhancement) that was being transported westward across the tropical Atlantic.

The MIMIC Total Precipitable Water (TPW) product (below) showed the dry character of this large Saharan dust plume — TPW values as low as 10-20 mm (brown to violet enhancement) were seen over eastern and central portions of the tropical Atlantic basin as the dust and dry air layer streamed westward off the African continent.